After years of consolidation, the state’s media landscape is largely dominated by out-of-state owners. Hedge funds own major publishers in Charlotte and Raleigh along with many peers in smaller cities. But there are some significant North Carolina-based private companies such as American City Business Journals and Capitol Broadcasting. Public broadcasters have gained clout and expanded staffs in recent years.

Raleigh

Atkinson was the area vice president of operations for Time Warner Cable prior to its acquisition by Charter in 2016. She assumed the current role in 2018. The Indiana University grad oversees Charter’s operations in the Carolinas and parts of Maryland and Virginia with a combined 2 million-plus customers.

Asheville

Blake, formerly the editor and award-winning columnist at the Asheville Citizen-Times, now serves as editor for Gannett’s statewide digital and print media operations. McLean, Va.-based Gannett operates about 16 N.C. properties following its 2019 merger with GateHouse Media. She is an Asheville native and Guilford College graduate whose mother was a longtime reporter in Asheville.

Raleigh

Boyum and his signature bow ties are a mainstay of political reporting in North Carolina, where he is both an anchor for Spectrum News 1 and host of the five-night-a-week Capital Tonight political discussion show. Capital Tonight began in 2012. Boyum, a Minnesota native and St. Cloud State University grad, has been cited by the Washington Post as one of North Carolina’s best political reporters.

Raleigh

The Bessemer City native started selling radio ads at age 15. His company now owns more than 60 AM and FM signals across North Carolina, ranking among the biggest independent U.S. radio operators. He hosts his own shows on public affairs and “oldie” music and has been a major volunteer and donor at UNC Chapel Hill.

Indian Land, South Carolina

Elias and business partner Dan Feldstein co-founded Red Ventures in 2001 from the ashes of an online discount business that failed during the dot.com crash. Now the company based in a Charlotte suburb is valued at more than $11 billion with dozens of digital websites, annual revenue topping $2 billion and more than 4,000 employees. Elias and his wife, Brenda, recently signed the “Giving Pledge,” joining other billionaires in agreeing to give away at least half of their fortune.

Charlotte

An important leader in Triangle and state civic and business affairs for decades, Goodmon learned about broadcasting by working with his grandfather, Capitol founder A.J. Fletcher. Goodmon became CEO in 1979. With WRAL-TV and WRAL.com as its base, Capitol has diversified in real estate in downtown Durham and Rocky Mount, by owning the Durham Bulls baseball team and private-equity investing.

Chapel Hill

Hoban founded N.C. Health News, an online and subscription newsletter company devoted to health news in North Carolina. Hoban worked for more than a decade as a nurse then she went to journalism school and began reporting on health for WUNC. Hoban launched her non-profit after recognizing a need for more journalists on the health care beat.

Shallotte

Holden became CEO of the state’s largest member-owned communications services company in 2018. Holden is a Brunswick County native with an undergraduate degree from N.C. State University and a master’s degree from UNC Wilmington. Focus, formerly called Atlantic Telephone Membership Cooperative, operates in southeastern North Carolina.

Greensboro

Kilimanjaro edits and manages the paper her father founded in 1967. It’s the longest-running weekly in Guilford County and one of the better-known African American papers in the state. Kilimanjaro graduated from North Carolina A&T State University with a degree in biology and earned a master’s in health care from Emory University.

Charlotte

Longtime Washington Post news executive Marshall became chief content officer for WFAE, Charlotte’s NPR station, in 2016 and executive vice president in 2020. She is a Howard University graduate.

Wake Forest

Rabon is a longtime employee of AT&T and its predecessors, including eight years leading the media giant’s public policy efforts in Raleigh. He was named to his current post in 2019. The Camden, South Carolina native has bachelor’s and MBA degrees from the University of South Carolina.

Charlotte

Shaw succeeded his late father, Ray, as president and CEO of the biggest chain of local business newspapers in 2009. The 44 publications include papers and websites in Charlotte, the Triad and the Triangle. New York’s Newhouse family has owned ACBJ since 1995. The company employs more than 1,400 people. Shaw worked for The Charlotte News and started Business North Carolina in 1981 before joining his father in a local publishing business. He has a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University and a master’s from UNC Chapel Hill.

Raleigh

Chapel Hill native Tomlin was named McClatchy’s Carolinas regional editor in 2019, overseeing the Charlotte and Raleigh newspapers. Earlier in her career, she worked at Asheville and Wilmington newspapers, and later at the Dallas Morning News. McClatchy was acquired by New York-based hedge fund Chatham Asset Management last year.

Charlotte

The Washington & Lee University graduate took $50,000 and experience at The Charlotte Observer to launch the Charlotte Agenda digital newsletter in 2015. Washington, D.C.-based newsletter publisher Axios bought the business last year for $5 million and named Williams to lead an expansion into 13 markets with plans for 11 more.